My Prima Ballerina
by Juliez18
Summary: Japan's prima ballerina, Kaoru, has it all; a celebrity status, an engagment to Japan's richest bachelor, and a dark secret that keeps her on the line between life and death. Kenshin, her new teacher, learns of this secret while slowly stealing her heart.
1. Unforeseen

AN: Please enjoy!

Chapter 1: **Unforeseen**

The abrupt sound of swishing water filled her small ears after delicately pressing the white lever with her fingertips. She took a deep breath, inhaling the quiet atmosphere surrounding her, then exhaling her abashed thoughts, ridding of their poison.

She stood up slowly and grabbed a paper towel wiping it against her plump lips. Her knees buckled slightly. She took a few steps to the mirror and gazed at the woman in front of her. Fair toned skin, sleek, raven hair wrapped in a bun, big sapphire eyes. She smiled slightly. It was nothing more than average to her.

Her eyes slowly traced up and down her thin yet curvaceous body. She took a few steps back and gave a curious look at herself from the side. She pulled down her black leotard exposing her bare chest and stomach.

Her stomach..

There she saw a flat stomach nicely shaped with a physique-toned fixture. Nothing bulged outward. Nothing was out of place.

A bigger smile spread across her lips.

"Kaoru!" came a bang from the door.

Kaoru jumped slightly. She quickly fastened her leotard over her shoulders and opened the door in a swift manner. A pair of green eyes appeared.

"Kaoru! What are you doing?" the petite girl exclaimed.

"..I..I…I was using the bathroom for god's sake, Misao!" Kaoru hesitated at first, but quickly jumbled her thoughts together welcoming herself back to reality.

Misao groaned. Kaoru was always full of mystery.

"Well you've been in there forever! What the hell were you doing? Giving birth?" Kaoru flicked Misao's forehead in response to her joke. Her best friend since childhood could always make her laugh. She was her sister and trusted companion.

"Shut up you freak!" Kaoru laughed. Misao grinned while rubbing her reddened forehead. "Why'd you bang on my door?"

"Miss—"

"Miss Chie wants us to meet on stage for an announcement," came a graceful voice. Misao and Kaoru looked up to find Takani Megumi, another friend of Kaoru's and Japan's current prima ballerina. Kaoru spied on her luscious raven locks tied up in just a ponytail, her white skin, red, plump lips, and her thin and envious body. A hint of jealousy swept across Kaoru's face.

"Hey! I was gonna tell her!" Misao hollered, raising a fist in the air. Megumi sighed. Why was this girl always full of such energy? Even after an eight hour dance rehearsal, she was still bursting with adrenaline.

"What for?" Kaoru asked, ignoring the temper tantrum girl next to her. It wasn't like Miss Chie, the director and beloved teacher of the Tokyo Ballet Company, to have an out-of-the-blue meeting. She was always extremely organized and planned well ahead of time. Kaoru felt her stomach drop. She didn't have a good feeling about this.

Megumi crossed her arms and shrugged obviously looking distraught as well.

"I don't know," she answered.

"Please gather around, dears!" came a much older voice echoing throughout the auditorium. The three girls rushed up the small flight of stairs, passing the wings and approaching the vast stage covered in wood flooring topped with a glossy and sleek finish.

There the girls sat down joined with their fellow dancers; all eyes focused on the aged woman standing before them.

"I can see the curious faces upon you all," Miss Chie smiled softly. Kaoru took a deep breath. Her radiance outshined all dancers in the room including Megumi's. Her face, aged with wisdom while her blue eyes showcased determination and passion yet her smile presented sincerity and tenderness. She was truly the heart of the ballet company and an inspiration to Kaoru.

"Since you guys just finished rehearsal for the day and are eager to head home, I shall make it short." Miss Chie's eyes scanned across the stage full of her students. Her eyes caught the attention of a particular pair of sapphire eyes. Miss Chie smiled at Kaoru's quizzical look and then continued to look among the rest of the dancers. "In a couple of months, I shall retire from the Tokyo Ballet Company."

Low, mumbled sounds and small gasps escaped the dancers' mouths filtering into the open air of the immense auditorium.

"But WHY!" Misao hollered over the whispers enveloping the auditorium. Miss Chie sighed, a smile still standing on her lips.

"My dear Misao, I have been directing this company for the past 46 years. I've put all my time and energy dedicated to this business and… simply put, I'm tired. I've made my decision." Pure silence encompassed throughout the vast room. "As for who will be taking my place, you'll be meeting him this Saturday before your dress rehearsal. Now I wish you all a good night and be here tomorrow at 9 am for your rehearsal and costume fitting."

Kaoru and the others stood up and all began making their way to the dressing rooms to grab their belongings.

"Kaoru! Me, Megumi and some of the girls are gonna head to the bar for some drinks! You wanna come?" Misao asked. Kaoru gave an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, Misao. Koji invited me over to his place tonight. He just came back from a business trip yesterday. I haven't seen him in over a week." she said. Misao grinned.

"Oh! How romantic! He never invites you over to HIS place?" Misao's face beamed with excitement. She was so envious of Kaoru and Koji. She was never very lucky when it came to men.

Kaoru laughed. Misao was so nosy.

"You think he's gonna pop the question?" Misao asked secretively. Her green eyes widened as so with her goofy smile. Kaoru blushed.

"I..I don't know…" She confessed. Marriage? Was Kaoru really ready for that? Just as her career was beginning to soar? A sudden buzz erupted Kaoru's thoughts. Kaoru grabbed her cell phone from her purse noticing the name 'Koji' displayed on the screen.

"Hello?" she spoke through the device.

"Good evening, gorgeous, are you just getting out of rehearsal?" A smooth masculine voice asked. Kaoru immediately smiled. She looked forward to hearing that voice all day.

"Yeah, I'm just walking out the door. Are we still up for tonight?" she asked as she turned away from Misao trying to avoid her 'kissy-faces'.

"Oh yes. I just wanted to call and tell you to wear your best dress, preferably that blue dress I bought you from Italy." Kaoru's eyebrows furrowed. What was he planning?

"Okay.. I'll see you at 8?" Kaoru asked.

"Yes. Can't wait to see you. Bye, hun,"Koji replied. His voice sounded more chipper than usual. Kaoru said her goodbyes and hung up the phone placing it in her purse. She glanced over at the anxious Misao.

"He wants me to wear my best dress.." she said sounding completely off guard. Misao squealed with excitement.

"KAORU! He's gonna ask you! I just know it!" she yelled. Kaoru tried to shush the ecstatic ballerina who began jumping up and down in pure pleasure. Kaoru just sighed and smiled at her hopeless friend.

_Maybe he will…._

Kaoru stood in front of the fifty story high condominium complex. She took a deep breath and clutched onto her black, leather purse even tighter. Her heart fluttered and her stomach churned all the while trying to force the lump out of her throat.

Whistles from passing strangers gave way into the brisk Tokyo night air. Kaoru blushed.

For once, her hair was down letting her black locks sway to the slight wind traveling across downtown Tokyo. She was dressed in the midnight blue halter dress that fitted comfortably around her curves with diamond earrings and a necklace to match it. All of which were bought by Koji.

Miyamoto Koji, one of the most powerful men in Japan..

Kaoru remembered when they met three years ago. She had finally gotten her license and not even two hours behind the wheel she rear-ended the car in front of her. She remembered getting out of the car feeling like a complete idiot and apologizing like a mumbling moron. She especially remembered the light green eyes that gazed upon her and the small smile which etched across his masculine face. She remembered agreeing to a date in return of not being sued. Kaoru giggled at that thought.

Now, Kaoru and Koji have been dating for almost three years. He was her first kiss, her first love, and the first man she ever made love to.

The past three years to Kaoru felt nothing short of a blur. A blur filled with paparazzi and magazine covers.

It was hard dealing with her boyfriend's celebrity status at first. Many tabloids called her a gold digger while others said Koji was just using her until he found someone better. There were times where Kaoru was at her wit's end and just wanted to end it, but Koji wasn't going to let that happen.

Kaoru sighed in ecstasy as she found herself at his door. He truly was one hell of a man.

She gracefully lifted her arm and knocked cautiously on the door. Kaoru overheard soft footsteps approaching the door. Her breathing stopped as her heart fluttered. Why was she so nervous? This was Koji! The love of her life! Kaoru mentally kicked herself.

"Get it together Kaoru," she whispered to herself.

Suddenly the white door flung open to reveal Koji dressed in black pants and a dark red button up dress shirt that clashed nicely with his lightly tanned skin. His beaming, green eyes, gorgeous smile, and clean-cut appearance made Kaoru melt.

"Hey there!" he said. Kaoru smiled.

"Hey—" Kaoru was cut short as Koji wrapped her in his arms and kissed her. The kiss felt more passionate than most days to Kaoru. It was like he was putting every being in him to let her know how much he loved her.

Kaoru stood there, wide eyed as his tongue began to explore every corner and ridge of her mouth while occasionally licking and playfully biting her lower lip. Kaoru shivered at his touch. A boiling hot sensation ruptured from her core as she began kissing back, her eyelids fluttered to a close.

Finally, Koji slowly broke the kiss letting his forehead press against hers.

"I missed you.." he whispered letting his lips graze against hers. Kaoru's hands trembled as she continued to clutch onto his shirt. Her flushed appearance made him smile. "Do you want to come in?" he chuckled. Kaoru bit her lower lip to prevent a goofy smile that attempted to stretch across her face. Koji laughed as he gently placed his arm around her waist welcoming her to his humble abode.

The hours seemed to pass by within seconds as Kaoru and Koji enjoyed a night of five star quality food, classical music, and the welcoming embrace of each other's company.

"Do you wanna step out for a bit?" Koji asked as he courteously held out his hand. Kaoru nodded and placed her delicate hand in his rough yet smooth textured hand.

They walked out to the balcony where city lights and tall buildings flourished the Tokyo ground below them. This was Kaoru's favorite spot. It made her feel like she was flying. She gazed up at the small sparkled specks burnishing in the night sky leaving her speechless.

"How beautiful.." she spoke in a light whisper.

"Not as beautiful as you," Koji added in. Kaoru squared her attention away from the stars to the man standing in front of her. She blushed furiously. Koji only smiled slightly. "Kaoru dear, are you okay? You seem a little off tonight. You're more quiet than usual," he stated. Kaoru hesitated. She couldn't explain what was wrong with her. Maybe it was because of her and Misao's conversation earlier that's been sending her to la-la land more frequently.

"I'm fine. I'm just extremely tired. Miss Chie had us rehearsing all day," she answered giving herself a mental pat on the back for covering it up so nicely. Koji smiled sympathetically.

"Well hopefully this will turn your mood upside down," he said. Kaoru gave him a confused look. What was he talking about? In one swift motion, Koji knelt down on one knee holding a small black velvet box in his hands.

All at once, Kaoru's stomach dropped to the floor, her heart began to beat fast, and her lungs gave out, her breathing cutting short at the big lump in her throat.

"Kamiya Kaoru, these past three years with you have been nothing short of amazing. You've made me a better man and gave me true purpose in life. It would do me the honor of having you as my wife." Kaoru gasped as she covered her mouth with both hands, staring at the polished diamond ring that twinkled like the stars above them. "Kaoru, will you marry me?"

Kaoru stood frozen. Every fiber of her being told her to speak, but she couldn't. She knew what she wanted to say, but couldn't get the word out. Why? What was holding her back?

"Koji…"

TBC!

AN: Reviews would be much appreciated. Thank you for reading!


	2. Enchantment

Disclaimer: I do not own RK!

Chapter 2: **Enchantment**

"Two bowls of rice with nori, and two bowls of miso soup. Is there anything else I can get you, ladies?" asked the petite waitress.

Misao, who had already started digging into her breakfast, Megumi, and Kaoru shook their heads. The waitress smiled back at Misao and Megumi, but gave Kaoru a worried look as she noticed she had nothing in front of her except a small glass of green tea.

"Hon, are you sure you don't need anything? You'll never be able to function throughout the day without something in that stomach of yours. I could get you some homemade—"

"No thank you, Miss Tae. I'm fine really," Kaoru explained giving Tae a reassuring smile. Tae sighed.

"Alright, dear, just give me a shout when you need something." Tae left the table to serve her other waiting patrons.

"So we meet the new director today," Megumi spoke up after the several minutes of silence that befallen the table. Kaoru sipped her tea in response.

"Yeah. I wonder what she'll be like," she wondered. Misao gulped down the last of her rice.

"I thought Miss Chie said it was a guy?" she said remembering what Miss Chie said that night.

"A man? Great. More testosterone. He'll probably have us doing push-ups," Megumi complained.

Kaoru sighed. Megumi always had a small hatred towards men after breaking up with her last boyfriend. Kaoru remembered how impolite and rebellious he was. He was pretty much the exact opposite of Megumi. His spiky brown hair and unbreakable tenacity pretty much defined the man. Despite their differences, Megumi was head over heels for him. Why they broke up? Megumi never told them.

"I don't care if it's a guy, a girl, or a sumo wrestler!" Misao stated. "I just hope this guy is as good as Miss Chie! Hey Tae! Can I get the paper!"

"I'm sure he will," Kaoru assured herself or at least tried to. Truth was, she didn't want Miss Chie to leave. She had been Kaoru's teacher since she began ballet at the small age of 7. She was like her second mother.

As Kaoru began day dreaming and Megumi and Misao continued to eat their breakfast, Tae rushed over, a smile still plastered on her face, and handed Misao the paper.

Misao thanked the waitress and quickly scanned the newspaper. Her mouth dropped and her green eyes beamed with excitement.

"Kaoru! You and Koji got the front page!" Misao shouted as she shoved the newspaper in Kaoru's face.

Giving her eyes a couple of seconds to adjust, Kaoru saw a black and white picture, front and center of the newspaper cover, showing Kaoru and Koji walking hand in hand with a small image on the lower left corner zooming in on the large diamond resting on her left ring finger. Kaoru groaned.

Her friends gave her a questioning stare.

"Well don't you seem ecstatic," Megumi stated laying her chin on the heel of her palm. Misao slammed both fists on the table, the girls' glasses filled with hot tea and food bowls rattled violently to the sudden vibration. A number of customers glanced their way.

"What the HELL, Kaoru! What's wrong with you? You should be happy! You're engaged to the most powerful man in Japan!" Misao's eyebrows furrowed, gritting her teeth.

Kaoru fussed with the small sugar packet in her dainty hands. She presented a sad smile to her closest friends.

"No. I mean of course I'm happy. It's just—"

"Look! It's her! The future Mrs. Miyamoto!" came an eager voice outside the small coffee shop. Kaoru, Misao, and Megumi turned to look outside the huge window to find several young men pressing their hands against the transparent glass. How did they find them?

Suddenly, flashes of white blinded the three ballerinas.

"Ms. Kamiya! Show us your ring! Ms. Kamiya!"

Whispers filled Kaoru's ear as she scanned the coffee shop. All customers, including the cooks and waitresses, fixed their eyes on her.

With the intimidating stares, the shouts, the quick popping sounds emanating from the cameras, and the whispers marveling over her, Kaoru felt like she was losing control of herself. The voices echoed in and out of her head continuously as a headache formed between her temples.

Subconsciously, Kaoru covered her ears and squinted her eyes. A powerful wave of dismay and annoyance quickly washed over her leaving a heavy burden of prominence resting over her shoulders.

Tears began to form in Kaoru's eyes.

Quickly, Misao and Megumi rushed Kaoru into the coffee shop's small bathroom locking the door behind them. Kaoru reached for a tissue in her purse and dabbed the corners of her eyes.

Megumi and Misao both rested against the door and gave Kaoru a solemn gaze.

"So that's what you mean?" Misao asked. Kaoru nodded.

"It's been never ending for the past three days! I haven't had any time to myself! I can't go down the stupid block without being stopped by paparazzi!" Kaoru sobbed. "I don't know if I can go through with this mar—"

"Don't say that, Kaoru!" Misao interrupted. "You love Koji! You've managed with it for three years!"

Megumi nodded her head in agreeance.

"She's right. It won't be as bad when you guys are finally married," Megumi reassured. Kaoru shook her head.

"Then they'll follow us on our honeymoon, to the grocery store, to the park! Imagine if we had kids!" Kaoru tossed her tissue in the nearby bin. Megumi cleared her throat and inhaled deeply. Kaoru turned to the prima ballerina and noticed a glint of sadness twinkling in her eyes. It was a solemn expression Kaoru couldn't explain.

"Kaoru, you're a celebrity now. You knew saying yes to Koji's proposal meant consequences especially with his country-wide reputation. If you truly love Koji then you need to suck it up and deal with it for the time being," Megumi argued. Kaoru exhaled a ragged breath. The way Megumi spoke gave Kaoru goose bumps. Her voice didn't once falter. Her words were short and concise, but the look of despair was noticeably displayed on her young face.

Despite her unforeseen appearance, Megumi was absolutely right. But Kaoru felt like she was responsible of this high reputation that she believed she couldn't fulfill. She knew that from this point on, her life would be an open book. It was bad enough with the occasional tabloid posts insinuating that she didn't deserve Koji and how she was in it for the money and the few paparazzi stalkers that followed her to dance rehearsal, but those came and went and Kaoru did learn to ignore them.

It was the fact that every little thing that she would do from here on out would be published and be showcased to the world. Thus being said, she would have to make decisions that would please the Japan population, not just for herself.

Of course she already dealt with the showtime critics about her performances, but that was just show business.

In this marriage, what she wore, ate, and bought would be criticized constantly and Kaoru just didn't think she could be able to stand that.

Kaoru did love Koji. But was it enough in order to let who she was go and become a walking, talking puppet?

XXXXXXXXXX

The first few hours of rehearsal for the Tokyo Ballet's next show came and went. Kaoru was able to relax, ridding her intense thoughts of Koji and the engagement from her mind and was able to focus on nothing but her dancing. Kaoru continued stretching in the wings waiting patiently with the other dancers for their scene to come up as Misao was being fitted for costumes and Megumi was in the middle of rehearsing her scene.

Kaoru glanced on stage to take a peek at Megumi. Her sapphire eyes widened.

It was simply breathtaking.

She seemed so light with every step, turn, and twist. It looked so easy to do! Every graceful motion was filled with such passion and emotion it would leave anyone speechless! Kaoru sighed deeply envying Megumi's natural talent.

"Hey, Kaoru. It's your turn to see the costume fitters," came a voice. Kaoru jumped out of her daze and noticed Misao next to her.

"Huh?" She said.

"Go get measured," Misao repeated in a soft and sweet tone. Kaoru raised an eyebrow. She noticed how eerily calm Misao was. She wasn't hollering in her normal tone and a small but noticeable shine twinkled in her green eyes.

What the hell happened to her?

Kaoru nodded her head in response not even bothering to ask what was wrong with her. She almost looked to be…love-struck? Kaoru smiled at the thought.

Kaoru arrived to the familiar room opening it slightly announcing her sudden intrusion.

"Close the door," a stern voice demanded. Kaoru's eyes widened to the unfriendly charge. She walked in and closed the door as told finding herself face to face with a tall man with black hair. He was dressed in casual clothing: light brown pants, white buttoned up shirt, black shoes, and a tape measurer draped over his shoulders. Kaoru stared intently at his icy-blue eyes. She gulped. Who was this guy?

"I'm the new costume designer," he replied as if he knew what she was thinking. "You must be Kaoru."

His voice sent chills up her spine. What a creepy man. She didn't feel safe with him whatsoever.

"Y-yes," she stuttered. Kaoru felt her bottom lip tremble.

"Aoshi, that's no way to greet the lovely Miss Kamiya, the next prima ballerina," said another voice, but this one sounded friendly and welcoming, the complete opposite of the man that stood before her. Kaoru turned her head to find a man in his early 20's. He had light brown hair, white skin, and the most welcoming smile she had ever seen. "I'm sorry, Miss Kamiya. My boss doesn't really have much people skills," he stated, bowing. Kaoru blinked a couple times. He sure was a gentleman.

"Oh! Pardon my rudeness, Miss Kamiya. My name is Seta Soujiro and this is Shinomori Aoshi. We are the head costume designers for the Oniwaban Costume Design Company in Kyoto. Miss Chie hired our expertise for your upcoming show. We've heard many great things about you," Soujiro said, a smile still stained on his face. Kaoru smiled in response. She always received comments of taking over Megumi's role of being the head ballerina, but always blew it off. She knew she was good and took pride in her ability to perform, but she never believed she would ever become as good as Megumi, despite what everyone, including Miss Chie, said.

"It's nice to meet you," she said more cheerfully. He really knew how to outshine Aoshi. The icy-blue eyed man leaned against the table with both arms crossed as his eyes scanned the piece of paper in front of him.

"Measure her, Soujiro," he demanded in his, what seemed to be, typical tone.

"Of course, Mr. Shinomori," he said. Soujiro motioned Kaoru in front of the huge three-sided mirror. "We're just going to take your measurements and then you can leave."

Despite the friendly atmosphere from Soujiro, Kaoru could still feel the cloud of Aoshi's cold personality radiating over the entire room. Kaoru concluded that Aoshi was most definitely single. Who in their right mind would ever consider of dating such a morbid man?

"Your measurements have changed prior to a few months ago," Aoshi spoke as he viewed Kaoru's measurement charts from past costume fittings. Kaoru raised an eyebrow and stared at the man.

"Excuse me?" she said politely. Aoshi looked over the sheet of paper.

"You've gone up a size. You went from a small adult to a medium," Aoshi said making himself much more clearer this time. Kaoru froze, her mouth slightly agape.

"Don't look so mortified, Miss Kamiya. It was only a couple inches here and there. You're a full grown woman that finally blossomed," Soujiro reassured her, but his words didn't seem to help.

How could she have gone up a size? That seemed to be impossible! She always watched what she ate! This conclusion didn't make sense. Kaoru desperately wanted to snatch the clip board from Aoshi's hands and see for herself. There was just no way..

"Th-thank you! I should be going now! I need to go finish stretching before my scene comes up." Kaoru quickly excused herself and rushed out of the room.

Tears began burning her eyes. With the stress from her engagement, this was the last thing she needed. Her thoughts began to blur and she felt herself beginning to run. Where? She didn't exactly know, but she had an idea..

Kaoru came to a stop and found herself standing in front of a particular door. She promised herself not to overdo it. She promised herself all those months ago that she would do it only when necessary such as maybe a couple times a week. But now, that promise seemed to disperse into the air above her as she clenched her hand around the bathroom door knob. A wave of desperation swam through her veins.

She trembled slightly. She had to.. she just had to.

Next thing Kaoru knew, the light was on and the door was locked.

She had given in.

Thus she began to spew the vile poison that rested in her belly.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Echappe! Echappe! Pase! Pase! Plie! And finish in fifth position!" Miss Chie called out to the dancers on stage with Kaoru, Megumi and Misao among them.

"Jeez, Kaoru, you're working much harder today than usual. You're out of breath!" Misao pointed out at the panting Kaoru. Kaoru cleared her throat in between the gasps of air that she so desperately needed to soothe her lungs.

"Just trying.. to get.. in better.. shape. Miss Chie doesn't want us.. to slack off," Kaoru replied. The rapid heartbeat against her chest and hunger pains coursing through her stomach seemed to numb Kaoru's mind. She had never felt so weak before. Misao eyed her best friend with caution.

"Kaoru, you look a little pale—"

"Ah! There he is! Come here, dear! Dancers, I'd like to introduce you to your new director, Himura Kenshin!" Miss Chie announced.

Kaoru looked over at the slightly shadowed figure walking down the aisle. She could see long hair and a, what seemed to be, fragile figure. Was Miss Chie sure that this was a guy?

Finally, the figure walked up the small flight of stairs onto the vast stage where the lights shined brightly on him. Kaoru's eyes widened in disbelief.

It was a man with long, red hair tied up in a low ponytail; a cross-shaped scar rested on his left cheek. Kaoru couldn't help but sense that the scar was not from a mere accident.

He wore white slacks with a magenta colored polo shirt. A small smile settled on his lips as he approached Miss Chie. Kaoru's throbbing body soon numbed as she gazed at his eyes.

Violet eyes? How rare.

They gave off a gentle and sincere persona about the man known as Kenshin. He had a small body compared to most men, but his well-toned, muscular arms proved her wrong as he gave Miss Chie a small hug.

"Good evening, Miss Chie. I'm sorry I'm late, " Kenshin said. Kaoru felt like all the air was sucked out of her.

_His voice is so gentle…so smooth… yet so… manly_, Kaoru thought.

"He is definitely gay," Misao whispered to Kaoru. "Just look at him! No man could look like that and still like girls!" Kaoru elbowed Misao in the ribs.

"Sir Ken…" Megumi whispered to herself. Misao and Kaoru gave Megumi a confused look. Sir Ken?

What the hell? Did she know him?

"I'm honored to becoming the next director of the Tokyo Ballet Company. Miss Chie has told me so much about you all and your passion to dance. I look forward to your shows and future rehearsals to witness your marvelous dancing, that I am," Kenshin spoke. Kaoru melted.

What was so enticing about him? Kaoru just couldn't put her finger on it.

After the short, welcoming speech from Kenshin, Miss Chie dismissed the dancers to head home.

A headache formed between Kaoru's temples suddenly as she began walking off stage to grab her things.

"Ah! Kaoru dear! Could you come here for a moment?" Miss Chie called out. Kaoru looked up to see Miss Chie raising an arm up gesturing her to come over. Kaoru blinked a couple of times. She swore she had just seen two Miss Chie's. She shook her head slightly and made her way towards Miss Chie and Kenshin.

"Yes?" she asked. Kaoru couldn't help but look at Kenshin. His face features were so much better close up. Every corner and structure of his face sent chills up her spine.

She turned to Miss Chie quickly as she noticed Kenshin fixing his violet eyes on her.

"This is Kamiya Kaoru, dear. Other than Megumi, whom I told you about, she is my most promising dancer. I just wanted you two to meet face-to-face!" Miss Chie said with no attempt of trying to hide the excitement in her voice.

"It's a pleasure, Miss Kamiya," Kenshin bowed slightly. Kaoru could feel her face heat up. Oh no! She prayed to the Gods that she wasn't blushing!

"Likewise, Mr. Himura. You can call me Kaoru," she said softly, mesmerized by his violet eyes still fixed on her. Kenshin smiled. Kaoru instantly felt her headache melt away.

"I'll try my best, Miss Kaoru," he said. Kaoru gave half a smile as she felt the headache appear once more.

"Well I must be going. Have a goodnight, Miss Chie, Mr. Himura," Kaoru said, nodding her head. As she spun on her heel to leave the two, her knees buckled under the spinning auditorium. She felt herself lose her balance, but quickly felt a strong hand grasping her arm.

"Miss Kaoru, you look a little pale." Kaoru turned her head, straightening herself up in the process, to find Kenshin, his hand still wrapped around her arm. "Are you alright?" Kaoru tugged her arm from under his grasp in a polite manner.

"I'm fine, Mr. Himura. It's just been a long day," she claimed as she ignored Miss Chie's worried look and headed to the dressing room to grab her things; the warmth of his touch still tingling her arm.

After getting dressed and waving goodbye to Misao, who seemed to be her old self again, Kaoru made her way to the front door of the auditorium.

She paused as her hand lightly touched the door handle. The headache reformed and the room began spinning again. Kaoru could see black dots forming then disappearing before her eyes. She squeezed the bridge of her nose as she closed her eyes tightly. A sickening feeling developed in her stomach.

What was wrong? She didn't understand.

_I guess I worked a little too hard, _Kaoru thought. After taking a deep breath, Kaoru opened her eyes. The dizziness wasn't as bad and the headache wasn't as intense, but she knew it would come back quickly. She had to get home before it became even worse.

She opened the door, the fall air rushing past her while cooling her aching head. Kaoru exited the theatre praying that no paparazzi was on her tail. Happily satisfied with not one camera in sight, Kaoru began walking home in a slow paced manner in order to ease the small dizzy spells that came and went.

Trying to ignore the sickening pain in her stomach, Kaoru began drifting to today's events. From the early morning paparazzi to breaking her promise, it had definitely been one hell of a day. She couldn't wait to get home, take a bath and call Koji..

As the thought of her fiancé crossed her mind a twinge of guilt punctured her heart. Guilt? Why was she feeling guilty? When she questioned herself, the image of a red haired man appeared in her head.

Oh. That's why. Kaoru felt a slight hint of guilt because of her unusual attraction toward Kenshin, her teacher of all people!

Kaoru sighed deeply in a dreamy fashion while she pictured his gentle persona and warm smile. She had a sudden urge to know what it was like to have those lips against-

_Kaoru, you idiot! Why would you think of such a thing! You're engaged to Miyamoto Koji, the love of your life. The man you want…to spend…the rest of your….life…..with,_ Kaoru hesitated at the lost thought. She couldn't believe she was questioning herself.

As she made her way around the block she noticed up ahead a red haired man and a woman talking. Kaoru stopped in her tracks. Her sapphire eyes widened in bewilderment.

There she saw Kenshin and Megumi standing in front of each other in what looked to be a deep conversation. Kaoru noticed the concern in Megumi's eyes and a small smile etched onto Kenshin's face.

After several seconds, the two waved goodbye and Megumi walked the other way while Kenshin turned to walk towards….

"Miss Kaoru?" Kenshin asked. Kaoru pursed her lips. How awkward. Kaoru clapped her hands together in apology.

"I-I'm sorry! I wasn't eavesdropping! It just—"

The dizzy spell came again and this time it was worse than before. The view around her spun around so quickly she couldn't make out as to what anything was. All feeling in her body soon gave out and all she could feel was the throbbing headache that felt like was coursing through every inch of her body. The sound cars beeping drowned Kenshin's voice who was calling out her name.

Kaoru's knees once more buckled under her as she felt herself hit the cold cement sidewalk.

TBC!

XXXXXXXXXX

AN: Reviews and (positive) criticism are welcomed and much appreciated!


	3. Surprises

**Disclaimer: Since the plot of this story is slowly coming out, I'd like to make people aware about anorexia. Yes, Kaoru is suffering from the early stages of anorexia and I would like to inform to my readers, especially the younger ones, that this is a horrible disease. In today's media world, you'll notice how thin, sometimes sickly looking, our models are and how most depend on vomiting to ensure to stay thin. I in no way support this method. It is a disease that can kill you. If you want to lose weight and stay fit, please exercise and eat healthy!**

(Special thanks to bbzachariah for suggesting this disclaimer!)

Disclaimer #2: I do not own RK

Chapter 3: **Surprises**

The bright fluorescent lighting slipped its way under Kaoru's eyelids as the sound of muffled voices filled her incoherent ears.

_Who is that? Where am I?_ were the questions that quickly crossed Kaoru's throbbing head. She took a deep breath, inhaling the stench of disinfectant and plastic gloves.

The familiar aroma quickly triggered her brain as she realized she was in a place that she most definitely did not want to be at.

Kaoru sat up in surprise. Her black hair swayed elegantly despite turning her head left and right in a violent motion; shocked sapphire eyes surveyed the white and bland looking room.

"No!" she hollered subconsciously swinging her legs to the side of the uncomfortable hospital bed. "I'm not staying here!"

_They can't find out!_

She stood up and sprinted to the door when suddenly, black splotches began to appear on the off-white colored door. Her head bobbled slightly and became quite heavy as she couldn't help but begin to descend toward the tiled surface.

Instead of slamming into the cold floor below her she felt herself fall into a pair of strong arms.

"Get her into the bed!" demanded a women's voice.

Wishing she could lay on the cold, damp floor instead of the hard mattress of what they called a bed, Kaoru closed her eyes shut while drawing ragged breaths.

_I'm so dizzy…please make it stop…I want to go home,_ she begged hoping that someone could miraculously read her thoughts because she believed that if she even spoke another word, she was sure to vomit since the intense sickly feeling began gushing in her stomach once more.

"She's incredibly dehydrated. Her tests have shown that she hasn't eaten in over 24 hours as well. She'll have to stay overnight. Are you her husband?" the woman spoke again.

"No. I'm her dance teacher. Her husband should be here shortly though," came another voice except this manly voice sent a familiar chill up Kaoru's spine.

Removing all distraught thoughts and ignoring the pains coursing through her head and belly, Kaoru opened her eyes to find the red haired beauty standing at the foot of her bed.

"Mr. Himura?" She couldn't help but feel…overwhelmingly happy to see his beautiful face. The nurse nodded her head to Kenshin after informing them that another nurse would come in shortly with a food tray. Kenshin thanked the middle aged women and watched her leave the room.

"How are you feeling, Miss Kaoru?" Kenshin asked as he sat on the chair beside the bed. Kaoru sighed in relief, yet her face signaled a hint of tenaciousness.

"I'm perfectly fine. I'm just really tired from rehearsal today. I pushed myself over the limit; I won't do it ever again. Can I go home now?" her long reply gave Kenshin a quizzical stare.

"The nurse said that you haven't eaten in over a day, Miss Kaoru," Kenshin stated. Kaoru pursed her lips together.

Oh crap. Now what was she going to say?

"I just haven't had the time. I've been very busy for the past few days," was all Kaoru could muster up. Kenshin just stared at her. What was he thinking? Finally after several seconds, Kenshin sighed.

"I guess you have a point. You are to be Mrs. Koji Miyamoto soon, correct?" Kenshin asked, a small smirk appeared on his gorgeous face. Kaoru blushed.

Did everyone know?

Kaoru groaned and crossed her arms. She didn't really like the fact that Kenshin knew she was engaged. She couldn't help but feel a little sad about him knowing.

"You make it seem like such a bad thing, Miss Kaoru. I'm sure Mr. Miyamoto is a great man considering his large business reputation among the people of Japan. You should be thrilled," Kenshin said leaning into his wooden chair. Kaoru blinked a couple of times at the red head. What was he trying to get at? "With this marriage, your life will be guaranteed everlasting happiness. You won't have to care about money whatsoever and be catered to hand and foot constantly. Your—"

"I don't want to be a walking puppet. I want to be my own person and make my own decisions without being criticized by every nosy person. I want to live a normal life," Kaoru interrupted. Kenshin's violet eyes widened in response. Silence had befallen the hospital room for several minutes.

"Why did you say 'yes', then, Miss Kaoru?" Kenshin asked breaking the silence. Kaoru turned her head. She was completely taken aback by that somewhat insulting question. This was definitely not your typical student-teacher relationship. He sounded like a nosy reporter.

Kaoru was about to spit out a bitter reply when she noticed concern and curiosity drawn all over Kenshin's face. The slight rage burning in her eyes quickly melted.

"I said 'yes' because… I love him," Kaoru answered while her eyes focused on the diamond ring resting on her left hand. Why couldn't she look him in the eye and tell him? Why?

"Miss Kaoru." Kaoru looked up to find a small smile placed on Kenshin's lips. "If you truly love him, wouldn't it be worth it to deal with the people's appraisal in order to spend the rest of your life with the man you love?"

Kaoru said nothing with her mouth slightly agape. His question simply shocked her, but the answer was simple. Of course she truly loved Koji and would most definitely spend the rest of her life with him and deal with the people of Japan.

Well, that's what she wanted to say. But she couldn't sum up the courage to.

Why was she hesitating? Did she not truly love Koji? Kaoru's bottom lip trembled at the thought.

"I—"

"Kaoru!" came a shout. Kaoru and Kenshin looked toward the direction of the door, which was opened violently to find Miyamoto Koji standing there; the look of despair and anguish clearly written on his face yet Kaoru couldn't help but notice how burned out he looked. Dark circles painted under his brown eyes, a couple of newfound creases drawn on his forehead, and the way his clothes slightly sagged on his body which definitely meant he had lost some weight.

"Koji?" Kaoru asked, who was obviously disturbed by the new look of her fiancé.

Within seconds, Koji sprinted across the room and embraced Kaoru in a tight hug.

"Are you alright?" he whispered into her ear. Kaoru clenched onto his shirt resting her forehead on his shoulder.

"I'm fine, Koji," she whispered back. Koji slowly broke the hug and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

"You don't look fine. You're pale and abnormally cold, sweetheart," Koji stated. Kaoru drifted her eyes to the ground below her.

"She's dehydrated and needs to eat. The doctors want her to stay overnight," Kenshin spoke up. Koji eyed the strange looking man in a suspicious manner.

"And who are you?" he asked sternly.

"My name is Himura Kenshin. I am your fiancé's new dance director. I found her passed out on the sidewalk," Kenshin stated. Koji kept a grimacing stare on Kenshin as he held out his hand.

"Thank you, Mr. Himura, for saving my Kaoru." Kenshin gladly responded to the hand shake giving off one of his famous warm smiles. "Now," Koji reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a thick wallet. He then proceeded to take out a wad of cash and began thumbing through it. "How much would you like? Usually, when I give out an award I start off with about $20,000."

Kaoru gasped.

"Koji! What the hell do you think you're doing?" she asked. Koji looked at his fiancé with a questionable gaze.

"I'm rewarding the man that saved your life, Kaoru. I can't just not give him anything now can I?" he said nonchalantly. Kaoru gritted her teeth. It was one of her very many pet peeves about Koji. He believed that money was the answer to everyone's problems.

Kenshin threw up his hands in defense.

"No, no. I couldn't accept, Mr. Miyamoto," Kenshin said. Koji looked at Kenshin like he had three heads.

"You deny money? Nonsense! This is a thank you for saving my fiancé—"

"Mr. Miyamoto, I appreciate your kindness, but the fact that Miss Kaoru is safe and sound and just needs some rest is all the reward I need, that it is," Kenshin interrupted. Koji raised an eyebrow at the red headed man.

"If you say so," Koji replied as he stuffed the massive wallet back into his pants pocket. He then squared his attention to Kaoru once more. "You're coming home with me tonight, Kaoru. One of my assistants have already gone to your apartment and grabbed your things."

"But I'm supposed to stay here tonight," Kaoru said. Koji shook his head.

"You're not staying in this hell hole any longer." Koji smiled as he helped Kaoru get to her feet, wrapping an arm around her waist.

Kaoru, who still felt extremely sick, clenched onto Koji tighter than ever. She was so glad to be leaving.

"Miss Kaoru?" Kaoru turned her head toward Kenshin. "I'll tell Miss Chie that you'll be taking a couple of days off. Please, get some rest and make sure you eat," Kenshin said, a hint of beseech rang in his voice.

A wave of warmth washed over Kaoru after he said those caring and thoughtful words.

"Y-yes, Mr. Himura," she replied.

Despite the warmth of Koji 's body overflowing around her weakened body and his familiar, and also very expensive, cologne filling her nostrils, she couldn't get rid of the image in her mind of Kenshin smiling at her as they made their way out of the hospital and into Koji's limo.

XXXXXXXXXX

During the next 24 hours, Kaoru was at her best behavior. She had a full night's sleep followed by three full, healthy meals throughout the day and allowed one of Koji's servants to cater her every need. Kaoru was extremely stubborn and preferred to do things herself, but decided to follow Koji's strict orders to ease his afflicted mind.

Though the company of her cook and server was nice, Kaoru wished that Koji could've taken the day off from work. Judging by how he looked last night, he was definitely in need of a few days off.

All Kaoru knew was that Koji's company was losing money fast. He had no choice but to go to work and try to keep the company's head stay above water. Kaoru, somewhat, understood the company's financial crunch, but it scared her slightly as his health seemed to be quickly declining.

Kaoru sighed at the thought. She missed him very much.

The sun finally settled down and the downtown bustle began to intensity. It was around the time that Koji would be coming home. Kaoru waited anxiously in her seat for her fiancé to arrive.

But as a couple of hours passed by and the Tokyo night sky began to darken, there was still no sign of Koji.

Finally, Kaoru heard the front door of the condo open.

"Koji?" Kaoru said, appearing from out of the kitchen with a glass of green tea in hand. The cook and the server bowed their heads in response to Koji's arrival.

Kaoru noticed a pained expression on Koji's fatigued face.

"Koji?"

Koji ignored his fiancé's call and excused the server and cook, dismissing them for the day. Kaoru furrowed her eyebrows. What was wrong with him? She watched as Koji dumped his jacket and briefcase on the leather sofa and slightly stumbled toward the bar table.

Koji took out a glass and bottle of saki and proceeded to pour the distasteful liquid into the small cup. He grasped the glass of saki and swallowed the liquid fire in one gulp.

"Koji, what's wrong?" Kaoru asked softly. She gently placed her green tea down on the expensive granite counter and took a few steps toward Koji. She could sense tension in the air around him.

"Our stocks went down again.." Koji whispered as he poured more saki in his glass. Kaoru's eyes widened.

"What?" was all she could say. Koji gulped down the saki in hand, his back still facing her.

"We lost more money, Kaoru. If this keeps up…." Koji slammed a fist onto the tiny bar table. "..we'll have to file for bankruptcy." Kaoru just stood there. "I'll lose everything.."

Kaoru walked up to Koji and placed a hand on his tensed arm.

"Koji.." she looked into Koji's troubled face trying to figure out what to say to comfort him. "It'll be okay. This is just a temporary setback, Koji. In no time your—" Koji slammed his fist against the table once more.

"Dammit, Kaoru! This is more than just a recession!" Koji spun around quickly and looked down at his fiancé. "I'm going to lose everything! My job, my money! My life will be ruined!" Kaoru noticed the slight rage burning in his eyes. Kaoru's face tightened.

"Koji! You're overthinking the situation! You won't lose your company! You're one of the most highly reputable businessmen in this country. You'll be okay—"

"It's not that simple, you moron!" Koji yelled throwing the cup full of saki down on the ground in between the two; saki and glass splattered all over the floor.

Kaoru stepped back instinctively and yelped at the sudden action then quickly looked up at Koji.

"What the hell, Koji!" she spat out. "You didn't have to do that!" Kaoru became enraged as Koji ignored her and took a few gulps of the bottle of saki.

Disgusted at the sight in front of her, Kaoru snatched the bottle of saki from out of Koji's hands.

"How much did you have to drink?" she asked after sniffing the faint smell of alcohol swimming under her nostrils. Koji's glazed brown eyes stared right down at her in pure anger.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" Koji hollered as he tried to confiscate his saki from Kaoru. His slow and disorganized movement led Kaoru to believe that Koji probably drank a little more than he should have.

Kaoru stepped back from Koji's attempt of grabbing the bottle from her hand.

"Koji! Calm down!" Kaoru pleaded.

Ignoring Kaoru's request, Koji managed to grab Kaoru's arm. The tight grip he had around her forearm caused Kaoru to drop the bottle thus more glass and alcohol spewed across the floor.

Kaoru winced. She felt her hand slightly going numb.

"Let go!" Kaoru demanded trying to tug her arm out of his hold.

"You don't tell me what to do!" Koji hollered in her face tightening his grip on Kaoru even more. Kaoru let out a small gasp.

Instinctively, Kaoru slapped Koji across the face.

Pure astonishment appeared on the drunken man's face. Koji instantly let go of his fiancé's arm.

Kaoru's bottom lip trembled terribly as she stared at the man in front of her. Who was that man in front of her? It certainly wasn't Koji.

"Kaoru…"

"How could you…" Kaoru's voice was hoarse. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Immediately, tears began to flow down Kaoru's cheeks.

Repulsed by the sight of the man standing in front of her, Kaoru rushed to the front door, grabbed her purse and coat, and slammed the white door shut.

Kaoru rushed out of the complex in a daze. The harsh fall wind swept past her, long raven locks twisted and danced to the wind's random movement.

Ignoring some of the glances of passerby's, Kaoru pulled up her hood to block the acrid wind and clashed with the downtown crowd.

Absolute bewilderment and anxiety filled Kaoru's once more, aching head. She couldn't believe what just happened.

Out of the three years of knowing Koji, that was the first time he ever got violent with her. Kaoru rubbed her trembling hands together to warm them.

She sensed a tingling sensation from her left arm where Koji grabbed her. She gracefully lifted up her jacket 's sleeve to find a red mark encased around her sore forearm. Kaoru prayed it wouldn't bruise or else she'd have to cover it with make-up. What would Misao and Megumi think?

Kaoru's bottom lip trembled as tears stung the corners of her sapphire eyes. The image of Koji yelling in her face with his fierce grip on her arm replayed in her mind over and over.

Kaoru gasped slightly as she realized how terrifying Koji looked and acted. Yes, he was drunk, but Koji was always considered a happy drunk. The fact that such an angry man was hidden deep within her Koji frightened her. Suddenly, Kaoru came to an unfortunate realization…

Was she actually _scared_ of Koji? The love of her life? Kaoru took a deep breath.

_Enough... I'm done thinking..._ How could Kaoru escape her mind just for a bit?

"The theatre..," she whispered to herself. Kaoru quickly searched through her purse to find a set of keys, one in particular that was painted in gold. Kaoru smiled softly. It was the key to her safe haven.

With the golden key in hand, Kaoru spun on her heel and made her way toward what she called her second home.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kaoru approached the back door of the theatre. She noticed a sliver of light escaping through the cracks of the door. Someone was already inside.

It was well past ten o'clock and she knew without a doubt all the dancers went home.

_It may just be the janitor, _Kaoru thought.

She unlocked the door and entered the theatre quietly. Not a sound stirred except for the soft padding of Kaoru's footsteps in the carpeted hallway.

"Maybe someone forgot to turn off the lights?" Kaoru asked herself. She entered her dressing room which was shared by many others including Misao; Megumi had her own dressing room.

She checked the closet discovering the spare black leotard and extra pair of pink tights she placed on the top shelf for emergencies such as this.

After dressing into her familiar clothing, Kaoru sighed deeply. The feel of the tights against her skin made her feel at ease.

She tied her hair up in a bun and gracefully slipped her feet into the spare ballet slippers she found in the dresser drawer.

She exited the dressing room and walked into the dark wings to find the stage lights were on.

"Is someone here?" Kaoru whispered to herself. She peeked from behind the wings to find no one was sitting in the dark, vast auditorium.

Kaoru bit her bottom lip. She was a little suspicious of who could be here.

Ridding the ridiculous thought of a killer lurking about, Kaoru stumbled upon a small stereo on the ground. It was the one that Miss Chie would use for warm-ups.

Kaoru plugged it in and pressed the play button. Soft classical music emanated from its speakers. Kaoru smiled softly.

She stepped onto the stage, readying herself as the music's soft intro quickly transitioned into a steadier and more rhythmic beat.

With pointed toes and elongated arms, Kaoru began to lose herself to the music. She felt at peace with the stage lights tingling her pale skin and the music filling her ears.

The stage was where she belonged. Each stretch, turn, and leap that she produced could easily be conveyed into a story with Kaoru's radiant dancing.

Instantly, all of her stress and worries quickly dispersed during her short three minute getaway.

Sadly, the music came to an end and while Kaoru was still somewhat in her daydream, she gracefully walked to the front of the stage, stretched out both arms over her head and bowed graciously to the invisible crowd.

Suddenly, a single clap erupted through the auditorium. Kaoru froze and lifted her head. Where..?

"Nothing short of perfect from the lovely Kamiya Kaoru," came a soft voice. Kaoru's heart skipped a beat. She turned to her left to find her new dance director standing in the wings clapping with something sticking out from under his arm.

Kaoru smiled sheepishly as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"Mr. Himura? What're you doing here?" Kaoru asked. Kenshin raised an eyebrow.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that same question? You should be home resting," he stated. Kaoru frowned.

"I don't want to be home. I needed to clear my head," she said softly, her eyes down casting toward the glossed, wooden stage.

"Is everything okay, Miss Kaoru?" Kenshin asked. He could tell there was something definitely wrong. Kaoru looked up. Her sapphire eyes instantly connected with his violet orbs. He looked worried.

Subconsciously, Kaoru looked at what seemed to be a wooden stick sticking out from under his arm. What in the world was that thing? Was he doing construction of some sort? Kaoru thought.

"Mr. Himura?" Kaoru said pointing to the stick. Kenshin's eyes widened at her quizzical gaze and then glanced at what she was pointing at. He chuckled.

"This is a—"

"A bokkon!" Kaoru spoke up when he grasped it from under his arm. Kenshin furrowed his eyebrows.

"You know what this is?" he asked. What an interesting girl. Kaoru nodded.

"Yes. My dad used to own a dojo. He was the master of the Kamiya Kasshin Style," Kaoru explained as her mind became flooded with childhood memories of her loving and dearly missed father.

Kenshin smiled. "Did you ever take lessons?"

Kaoru gave half a smile and waved her hand slightly in response to his question. "Eh. I did for a year or two, but mom thought it was so un-lady like and put me in dance class instead."

"It seems that your mother was quite wise, that she is," Kenshin added. Kaoru smiled at the compliment and hesitated for a moment as she stared at the wooden sword in Kenshin's hands.

"How come you brought a bokkon to the theatre? It's a little…" Kaoru drifted off not trying to sound rude. Kenshin laughed.

"Well, I practice every chance I get and my apartment is a little small," he answered. "I own a dojo on the outskirts of town. I usually practice there." Kaoru's eyes widened.

"A dance teacher and a kendo expert?" Kaoru smiled. Who would've thought? "Do you teach?" she asked. Kenshin shook his head.

"No. I inherited the dojo from my late grandfather. I go there on the weekends or when I need to get away from downtown Tokyo," Kenshin explained. Kaoru wondered what the dojo was like. She pictured it as a serene and beautiful place. Kaoru wished she could go see it.

"Do you mind if I hold it…?" Kaoru asked sheepishly. Kenshin smiled and handed it over to the curious ballerina.

"It's a bit heavy, but—" Kenshin was cut short as he witnessed Kaoru placed both hands on the hilt of the wooden sword; her back straight, shoulders back, chin up. Kaoru took a deep breath.

Suddenly, Kaoru gripped onto the wooden sword tightly, took a step forward and slashed the air in front of her with all her might in a quick motion. She straightened up and blinked a couple of times noticing what she just did. She turned to face Kenshin to find pure bewilderment etched across his face. Kaoru blushed furiously.

"I-I'm sorry!" she exclaimed. "I don't know what came over to me!" Kaoru felt incredibly ridiculous. A ballerina swinging a bokkon back and forth? What an odd combination. Kenshin couldn't help but laugh.

"I never thought I'd see a girl in ballet slippers handle a bokkon so well," he confessed. Kaoru handed him back the bokkon.

"My dad just taught me the basics. That's all I really know," she said while giving half a smile in embarrassment.

"Well your father would be proud," Kenshin said smiling softly. Kaoru felt her face heat up once more. Once again, silence arose between the two. Usually, Kaoru would feel a tad bit awkward in situations such as these, but with Kenshin, she felt at ease. She didn't mind not having to talk to Kenshin. She enjoyed being in just his presence alone.

Kaoru looked up at Kenshin and noticed that he possibly felt the same way. Kaoru gave a sheepish smile at his warm and calm violent eyes fixed on her.

"It's getting rather late, Miss Kaoru," Kenshin finally spoke. Kaoru blinked to awaken from the temporary daydream she was admiring. "I'm sure your fiancé is starting to worry," he mentioned. Kaoru frowned immediately when Kenshin said 'fiancé'.

Koji…

She forgot all about him. The memories of the earlier events quickly flooded Kaoru's mind. Tears began to fall down her cheeks again.

"Miss Kao-?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Kaoru interrupted quickly wiping away the tears. She sniffled and exhaled softly. How embarrassing. She didn't want Kenshin to see her like this. She didn't want to look like a whiny, dramatic little girl.

"Miss Kaoru?" Kaoru suddenly felt something warm touching her shoulder. Kenshin gently placed a hand on her shoulder giving her a reassuring smile. Kaoru looked up into the eyes of her dance teacher, ignoring the tears that still continued to trickle down her cheeks. "You can talk to me."

When Kenshin's soft words escaped his lips, something triggered in Kaoru's mind. There was something about this man that Kaoru couldn't quite figure out. She could feel a sense of comfort and contentment coming from those kind-hearted words. His enticing personality and unremarkable kindness was so genuine, Kaoru couldn't think of anyone that could compare to him… including Koji.

With those words said, Kaoru rested her forehead against Kenshin's chest and began to sob uncontrollably not knowing that a shadowed figure in the wings was capturing every moment with a click of his camera.

TBC!

AC: Reviews and positive criticism would be much appreciated! You have no idea how many times I revised this chapter! I was literally going crazy, but I am content with this chapter for the most part. I have quite a few more surprises up my sleeve so I hope you will stay tuned!

**Special thanks to my reviewers: ****Chibi Tanuki 91, bbzachariah, AndreiAstaroth, lolzz, and NoelleisParadise **


	4. Realization

Disclaimer: I do not own RK!

AN: Going to be honest… this is NOT my favorite chapter, but I felt the need to post something? It's been over a month! Basically, this chapter was supposed to be much longer, but I decided to cut it in half due to lack of updating. Please enjoy! Or at least try to!

Chapter 4: **Realization**

_With those words said, Kaoru rested her forehead against Kenshin's chest and began to sob uncontrollably not knowing that a shadowed figure in the wings was capturing every moment with a click of his camera._

XXXXXXXXXX

Kaoru lifted her head and noticed the tear stains, tainted with anxiety, fear, and frustration, on Kenshin's shirt. She sniffled at the sight and wiped the remaining tears dripping down her cheeks with the heel of her palm. She couldn't help but feel selfish.

"I'm so sorry," she spoke, her voice hoarse. Kenshin blinked.

"It's alright, Miss Kaoru," Kenshin assured her as he casually brushed his hand against the small blotch of Kaoru's tears on his shirt. "There must be something really troubling you, that there is." Kaoru looked up into his violet eyes and noticed the deep concern behind them. Even his smile, which always gave off an amiable sensation, seemed to be forced.

A chill went down Kaoru's spine.

_Again…, _she thought.

Kaoru inhaled deeply and plastered a watery smile on her face. She felt incredibly relieved, but…

She couldn't believe how easily he managed to break down her walls without even trying! It was almost terrifying in a sense to her especially since she'd only known Kenshin for literally a couple of days!

Kaoru noticed that he wanted to say something to her by the way he paused with his mouth slightly agape, but he didn't seem to have the courage to speak his mind. She tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and gently massaged the back of her neck in embarrassment.

Suddenly, she noticed Kenshin's eyes glance at her left arm. Kaoru raised an eyebrow at the man then decided to look at her arm and within seconds regretted it.

There she saw her crimson imprint tinged with a hint of blue. Kaoru crossed her arms, her right arm covering her left, as if she didn't notice anything.

"Miss Kaoru, your arm?" Kenshin asked. Kaoru smiled sympathetically in response.

"Oh, it's nothing, Mr. Himura. It's just a little red. I burned myself from cooking earlier today. Cooking's never really been my forte," she laughed nervously. Kaoru could tell Kenshin wasn't buying it by the way he continued to focus on her arm. She so desperately wanted to escape from his curious stare. "Well, it's getting late, Mr. Himura. Koji will get worried if I'm not home. Goodnight." Kaoru quickly spun on her heel and began to walk away when she felt a hand grasp her shoulder and turn her around abruptly. Kaoru blinked a few times to rid of the sudden dizziness from the staggering turn.

"Miss Kaoru, may I see your arm?" Kenshin beseeched. His mysterious eyes bored into her angelic, blue eyes as a sincere yet pleading smile appeared on his lips.

Kaoru sighed, forcefully exhaling through her nose. This wasn't going to end well. She lazily held her reddened arm up letting the pair of violet arms scan it cautiously. Kenshin gently pressed his fingers against her arm. "Does this hu—"

"Ow!" Kaoru whined as she tugged her arm out of Kenshin's grasp. "I'm fine, Mr. Himura," she reassured him again. This time Kenshin didn't smile.

"That's not a burn from cooking, Miss Kaoru. Your arm looks to be bruised. It looks as if something was bounded around your arm," Kenshin stated. Kaoru subconsciously rubbed her arm, her eyes gazing at the stage floor. "Kaoru, what happened?" Kaoru said nothing, ignoring the fact that her teacher called her by her first name only. "Was it something between you and Ko—"

"It's nothing, okay?" Kaoru exclaimed in defiance. "I-I have to go," she spoke softly as she walked past Kenshin.

As she approached the wings, Kaoru noticed the curtain move slightly. She looked to her left to find a man standing several feet from her.

Kaoru stepped back and gasped in sheer shock pointing at the form in front of her.

"T-There's something-!" was all she could muster up. Kenshin turned around and immediately sought after the dark figure who gasped upon the look of Kenshin's eyes and attempted to make a run for it.

Unfortunately, for the stranger, he didn't make it as far as two steps before he slammed into another figure. This time he was much taller and had spiky hair, but from the dim lighting in the wings, Kaoru couldn't make out as to who it was.

"Found you!" the tall man grunted in achievement as he grabbed the man by his collar and slammed him against the wall.

"Please don't hurt me! I was just doing my job!" begged the stranger.

"Doing your job as in spying on people?" the tall man yelled as he slammed his fist against the wall next to his frightened victim's head.

"Sano, don't let go of him," Kenshin asked as he walked past Kaoru.

_Sano? Who the hell is—Wait! That's—_

"What business do you have here in my theatre?" Kenshin demanded interrupting Kaoru's thoughts. The sternness in Kenshin's voice made her feel incredibly uncomfortable.

"He's got a camera, Kenshin," said the tall man Kenshin referred to as 'Sano'. He held up the black, heavy object.

"Paparazzi…" Kaoru whispered to herself. Quickly coming to a realization, she gasped.

Was he taking pictures of her and Kenshin?

"P-please don't break it! I need it! My boss will kill me!" begged the camera man.

"Give us one good reason why we shouldn—"

"Sano," Kenshin said insinuating him to stop with a raised hand. Kenshin grabbed the camera from Sano's hand and violently pulled out the film. "Let him go," he finally said.

Sano grunted, obviously displeased, as he released the man from his grasp. Kenshin handed the filmless camera back to the man.

"If I see you here in my theatre without my permission, I will have you arrested for trespassing. Do you understand, sir?" Kenshin asked. The man nodded his head slowly as beads of sweat trickled down his temples.

"Get going, you scum," Sano grinned as he raised his fist in the man's face causing him to run away. Sano smirked at his successful threatening attempt.

"Sanosuke?" Kaoru asked. "Is that you?" Sano turned around to face his ex-girlfriend's best friend.

"Hey, little missy, long time no see," Sanosuke smirked as he walked onto the stage to get a better glimpse of her. "Congrats on your engagement." Kaoru ignored the praise and gave him a small, friendly hug.

"What happened to you?" Kaoru spat out. She didn't mean to sound rude, but she wanted to know what happened after his and Megumi's breakup. He and Kaoru were like brother and sister. It was weird for him to disappear so sudden. Sanosuke bit his bottom lip.

"Eh. The fox and I went our separate ways. I've been in school," he uttered. Kaoru snorted.

"You? In school?" Kaoru laughed. There was just no way Sanosuke, the free-load, foul mouthed man that stood in front of her was in school! Sanosuke gave Kaoru a pained look.

"Ouch, little missy. Why wouldn't you think that I couldn't be able to handle sch—" Sanosuke cut himself off and pondered for a moment. "Never mind. Don't answer that." Kaoru grinned.

"Sano, what're you doing here?" Kenshin interrupted.

"I came to see you, buddy," Sanosuke replied with half a smile.

Kaoru snapped back into reality as she noticed the red head standing next to her. They know each other?

"You guys are friends?" she asked. Bewilderment etched across her face. Sanosuke grinned and patted Kenshin on the back causing Kenshin to stumble forward.

"Been buds for years," he answered. "Ain't that right, Kenshin?" Kenshin nodded as he straightened himself up.

"Indeed," he replied with a smile. Kaoru could notice the tight relationship they had and it immediately reminded her of her friendship with Misao and Megumi. But the small daydream ended as Sanosuke spoke up.

"What're you gonna do about that film, Kenshin?" he asked. Kenshin shoved the film in his pocket.

"Dispose of it, of course," Kenshin replied. Kaoru's eyes stared at Kenshin's pocket where the film laid.

What would happen if she didn't spot the paparazzi? Those pictures would've appeared on all the magazines in town and even spread across the country! Of course she had no intention of cheating on Koji, but the fact of the matter was that she was sure there were pictures of her being consoled in such an intimate embrace by her dance teacher in that film. People were sure to start rumors.

Kaoru suddenly had this strange urge to stay away from him. She felt that it was dangerous for her to be near Kenshin. The way he was able to tear down her walls so easily did not make things easy for her. In fact it only complicated things greatly such as her feelings and her relationship with Koji.

It was at that moment when Kenshin glanced at her as she stepped away from him that Kaoru promised herself that she would keep her distance from him from now on.

_Just a strict student-teacher relationship. That's all it will ever be_, she thought.

"Where ya goin', Kaoru?" Sanosuke asked. He was clearly oblivious as to what was going on.

"It's getting late. I have to go," she answered ignoring Kenshin's questioning gaze. Sanosuke furrowed his eyebrows but deemed it best to not question the ill-tempered Kaoru.

"Well, let's catch up soon. I tried calling you earlier actually, but you didn't answer," Sanosuke mentioned. Kaoru raised an eyebrow. How strange. She didn't hear her phone ring once today.

"I'll go get my phone. Just a sec," she said as she sprinted to the dressing room. Kaoru absentmindedly rummaged through her purse to find no sign of her phone. Kaoru began to panic. "Where the hell is—No!" she cried. She left it at Koji's! "Dammit! Dammit!" she spat out as she slammed her fist on the counter.

She exited the room moments later and approached the two men.

"I left it at Koji's," she said sadly. "I'll give you a call sometime this week, but I really have to go," Kaoru excused herself as she began to head for the dressing room.

"Miss Kaoru," Kenshin called out. Kaoru stopped in her tracks, her back still facing him. "Are you going to Koji's?" Kaoru took a deep breath.

"Mr. Himura, I believe that my personal life is none of your business." She paused for several seconds. She knew she must have sounded so bitter, but she thought it was best for the both of them. "Have a good night." And with those words, Kaoru walked off stage knowing full well that a pair of pained violet eyes spied on her until she vanished.

XXXXXXXXXX

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

Kaoru hastily slammed her palm against the top of her bothersome alarm clock.

"Seven already?" she groaned rubbing her eyes. Sighing contently as Kaoru snuggled comfortably against her cushioned pillows under the soft sheets, her eyes suddenly popped open as she vividly remembered the events of last night.

Kaoru huffed. She could feel a headache coming as troublesome thoughts began to flood her mind.

Without warning, a grumbling and ravenous sensation erupted within Kaoru's belly. She gently rubbed her stomach as she still lied in her bed.

Kaoru took a deep breath as she thought about her horrid hospital visit. She most definitely did not want to go back there. Maybe she should stop….?

Mentally kicking herself, Kaoru rid of that suggestion.

_No… I'm perfectly fine. I only passed out because I'm not used to it yet. I need to keep at it or else my career is over…_, she thought.

Deep down inside, Kaoru really believed that her 'habit' actually helped her. She assumed that her lack of eating full meals and only consuming extremely small portions, if not at all, gained her the ability to dance better. With her light weight, she was able to move easily and gracefully and catch up to Megumi, the ballerina whom she strived to be like.

Kaoru cleared her throat and sat up brushing her fingers through her messy hair. An image of Koji and Kenshin appeared suddenly in her mind. Kaoru grumbled. She didn't want to face Kenshin or Koji today and promised to make every attempt to avoid them, but she had this chilling feeling telling her otherwise.

"Let's get this fucking day over with…" Kaoru whined as she swept her legs over the bed and stood up shaking her head as a small dizzy spell overcame her. She exhaled slowly and regained her balance.

_I'll be okay…,_Kaoru thought as she walked toward the bathroom.

XXXXXXXXXX

Showered and dressed for another 8 hour rehearsal at the theatre, Kaoru grabbed her purse and dance bag and headed into the kitchen.

She bit her lip as she opened up the refrigerator door blankly staring at all the food and beverages before her.

"Hmmm…,"Kaoru tilted her head to the side. "I did eat quite a lot yesterday," she pondered as she remembered the full meals she ate, or actually _had_ to eat under Koji's request, yesterday.

Kaoru scrunched up her nose in protest to that thought as she placed her hand on her stomach expecting to feel it bulge out.

"Well, it's been a while since I've fasted. Maybe I'll do that today," she concluded as she swiped the many bottles of water from her fridge and shoved them into her dance bag.

Kaoru approached her apartment door and swung it open gracefully when a gasp escaped from her lips as a figure stood in her doorway.

"Oh my God! You scar-" Kaoru stopped herself and blinked a couple times as she couldn't believe who it was. "Ts-Tsubame!" she exclaimed. "What-What are you doing? You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

The timid, young adolescent pursed her lips together with a sorrowful expression written in her brown eyes.

"I-I'm sorry. It's just—"

"Shouldn't you be going to school? It's almost 8 am," Kaoru interrupted, noticing that she was in her school uniform. Tsubame fiddled with the hem of her shirt before speaking up.

"I wanted to talk to you about Uncle Koji," she confessed. Kaoru felt as if her heart dropped to the floor, but she knew that was why she was there from the first second she saw her at her door step. Kaoru leaned against the door frame rubbing her now bruised arm. Tsubame drew a ragged breath before proceeding.

"He called my mother last night I'm guessing right after you left the house. He sounded really upset and my mother could barely understand a word he was saying. He wouldn't stop yelling so we went over there." Tsubame bit her bottom lip before continuing on. "The house was a mess. There was glass everywhere and he wreaked of alcohol. As I was trying to clean up the place, my mother was able to calm him down and then he started crying, Miss Kaoru." Kaoru went slightly pale as she heard Tsubame's words. Tsubame finally looked up at Kaoru with tears stinging the corners of her eyes clenching her fist against her heart. "Please, Miss Kaoru, don't end it like this! He loves you so much. He kept calling himself an idiot and how he couldn't move on without you!" Kaoru said nothing. She couldn't say anything.

"W-why did you..?" she spoke up.

"You are a part of this family, Miss Kaoru. I already think of you as an aunt! Uncle Koji is a kind and gentle man who is facing some hardships and he needs your support! If he keeps drinking as much as does now he'll-" Tsubame couldn't continue on as she began to sob.

Kaoru melted. It must have taken Tsubame a lot of guts to come and face her. She was a quiet and timid girl so it was extremely rare for her to speak her mind as openly as this. If Tsubame went this far then Kaoru knew that it was extremely important to her.

Without a second thought, Kaoru embraced the girl that would be her niece. She consoled her by rubbing her back and gently shushing her. Out of the entire Miyamoto family, Kaoru adored her the most. Tsubame was like a sister to her and even like a daughter in some ways. Tsubame was the first one to greet her and the first to make her feel welcomed when Kaoru was first introduced to the family.

As Tsubame finished sobbing, Kaoru looked up at her and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, Tsubame. Everything will be okay. I promise." Tsubame sniffled and wiped the remaining tears trickling down her cheek. A small smile appeared on her lips. Kaoru relaxed as she knew she was able to successfully console her future niece.

"Thank you, Miss Kaoru," Tsubame gratefully replied. Kaoru smiled warmly while straightening a strand of Tsubame's hair.

"Hey, you should be heading to school now! You don't wanna be late, right?" Kaoru smirked while Tsubame gasped and checked her watch.

"Oh! Y-yes! I have to go now! Bye, Miss Kaoru!" Tsubame waved as she headed toward the elevator. Kaoru waved back and suddenly froze.

"Ugh! I'm gonna be late for rehearsal!" she exclaimed. "Tsubame! Hold that elevator!"

XXXXXXXXXX

AN: Not much of a cliff hanger and this chapter wasn't very good in my opinion. What I wrote here was about half of what the full chapter was going to be, but like I said.. I hate having people to wait. Please review! It really keeps me going! Any suggestions or positive critiques are welcome!

One last thing, how should I incorporate Yahiko in this story? I kind of have an idea, but I wouldn't mind getting some feedback!

**Special thanks to my reviewers: tjam, Chibi Tanuki 91, SRAS9, ****NoelleisParadise****, Talvalin**,** and ****bbzachariah****!**


	5. Forgiveness

AN: Hello guys! Uhm….wow. It's been 3 years? What sort of excuse can I give you? Well as a senior in college juggling two jobs, a social life, and a boyfriend. My life has been nothing short of hectic. I'm so sorry guys that I haven't updated. I really want to continue this story so it will get done…eventually!

Disclaimer: I don't own RK.

Chapter 5: Forgiveness

Slowly opening the back door, Kaoru could hear the soft sound of classical music filtering throughout the back hallway of the theater.

"Dammit. I'm late," she whispered to herself, shutting the door as quietly as possible. The soft tapping of Kaoru's footsteps echoed most vibrantly as she made her way down the tile-floored hallway and into the spacious dressing room.

As Kaoru opened the door, a huge waft of the scent of hairspray flew past her filling her nose with the familiar aroma. A small smile crept upon Kaoru's soft lips.

It had only been a day, but goodness how she missed it.

The huge dressing room was littered with dance bags and clothes which draped over chairs while countless numbers of large hairspray cans, lavish makeup boxes, thick hairbrushes and hair pins of every color and size covered the surface of every counter and table.

Quickly, Kaoru dressed in her usual dance attire and rushed onto the stage where everyone, including Miss Chie, was warming up at the bar.

Every pair of eyes darted toward the promising dancer while whispers of Kaoru's name flitted around the stage.

"Kaoru dear, I assume you're feeling better?" Miss Chie asked over the humming's of whispers from her students. Kaoru nodded her head slowly in embarrassment.

Miss Chie never liked it when a warm-up was disturbed, but this time there seemed to be something else that irked the admirable dance director. Kaoru wasn't sure as to what it was, but she couldn't help sense it was something about her.

Miss Chie never had such a cold stare before…

"Yes ma'am, I'm sorry I'm late. I—"

"What's done is done, my dear. Now, please…," Miss Chie interrupted as she whisked her hand towards an empty spot at the bar.

"Y-yes…" Kaoru whispered as Miss Chie resumed the warm-up.

"Kaoru!" Misao whispered as she pointed to an empty spot in front of her. Kaoru made her way to Misao and joined in on the rather accustomed warm-up that they executed almost every morning.

"Where the hell have you been?!" Misao said, her voice raised slightly yet she was still able to manage it in a whisper. "What happened?! Why didn't you call me?! You—"

"I'm sorry, Misao! I'll explain things later," Kaoru promised trying to calm her distressed best friend as they continued their ballet variation. Misao huffed and left it at that.

XXXXXXXXXX

"WHAT?!" shouted Misao. Kaoru quickly shushed her and covered her mouth.

"Misao! You promised you wouldn't freak out!" she pleaded as she looked around to find a couple of glances come their way. They were sitting on the landing of the grand stairs that led to the stage during their lunch break to get some privacy, but with Misao's mouth, it deemed impossible.

"I should have every right to freak out!" Misao said removing Kaoru's hand from her mouth, she was extremely frustrated. "First you get sent to the hospital and don't even bother to call me, get in a huge fight with your drunken fiancé, get intimate with our new dance teacher AND almost get caught doing so by the paparazzi AND Megumi's ex-boyfriend, Sanosuke, is in town!? Am I missing anything else, Kaoru?!"

Kaoru failed to mention her and Koji's violent interaction that night. Her arm was nicely covered with makeup because no one had noticed the bruises circling around her arm.

"Misao! We weren't intimate! It was just a hug! We-"

"Good morning, ladies."

Kaoru froze.

_Dammit…_

"Uhhh! G-Good morning, Mr. Himura, how are you?" Misao replied in a polite manner trying to hide the awkwardness in her tone.

Kaoru looked up to find Himura Kenshin just a few steps below them. Kenshin smiled.

"Doing well," he answered as he glanced at Kaoru who was paying no mind to him at all. Her body was shifted toward Misao, but her head was bowed slightly as she focused on the diamond ring glinting on her left ring finger. For some reason, whenever Kaoru saw Kenshin that morning, she would always ignore him by staring at her engagement ring. It brought some peace of mind to her and helped numb the small guilt residing in her heart as she did so.

She planned to keep the promise she made last night. She planned to keep her distance from Kenshin and focus on her career and fix her relationship with Koji. Having him intrude in her life was just making things much more complex for her.

"How are you, Miss Misao?" Kenshin asked. Misao gave off a sweet smile.

"N-never better," she replied. Kaoru continued to say nothing nor react to Kenshin's words.

"Miss Kaoru, are you alright?" Kenshin asked. Kaoru inhaled softly and nodded her head. Misao could tell Kaoru did not want to talk to him.

"Uhhh! Kaoru's not feeling well right now. She's got a stomachache…uuhhhh!" Misao spoke awkwardly.

Kenshin blinked and Misao noticed a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"I see," Kenshin said. The abnormal softness in his voice made Kaoru's heart drop even more.

Kenshin glanced at the lunchbox filled of delicious food for Misao and just a water bottle in Kaoru's lap. "Your lunch break is almost up, so please finish your meals, girls. Your health is extremely important to Miss Chie and I," Kenshin stated as he began to ascend up the flight of stairs and thus bid farewell to the two dancers.

The last part of Kenshin's sentence seemed to affect Kaoru more than she realized. It seemed to be directed more towards her than Misao. Maybe she was just overthinking it?

"Kaoru…?" Misao asked. Kaoru looked up at her best friend. "Do you like Mr. Himura?" Kaoru furrowed her eyebrows and immediately frowned.

"No! Of course not! I love Koji! Why would I have a silly little crush on my dance teacher of all people?!" Misao didn't seem to believe Kaoru.

"Then why were you giving him the cold shoulder just now? Hell, you've ignored him all morning! Is it about last night? You must have some type of feelings for the guy?" Misao said. Kaoru sighed as she covered her face with her hands.

"I don't know, Misao! There's something about him that just automatically attracts me to him! It's like he has me under a spell!" Misao pursed her lips together.

"It's probably a phase, Kaoru. I mean, you've been dating Koji for three years! Everyone gets those random attractions toward others. It's not like you're going to break up with Koji for Himura, right?" Misao placed an arm around Kaoru's shoulders.

Kaoru could tell Misao's smile and words were pure and true. It made her feel so much better to hear those words coming out of Misao's mouth.

"Right," Kaoru smiled back. Misao chuckled.

"Well, I think lunch is over. You sure you don't want any of my leftovers? I don't think a couple bottles of water are going to help you," Misao said. Kaoru took a big gulp of water.

"I'm fine, Misao. I'm just fasting. I need to get the toxins out of my body before our big show in a few weeks. This is the biggest role I've ever had and I need to be 100% in shape," Kaoru smiled with determination plastered all over her face.

Misao sighed, "Alright." She knew this wasn't the way to go, but for some reason, she over looked it.

The two girls packed their lunches and made their way up the stairs. Their comfortable silence was suddenly interrupted by Misao who asked a most worrisome question.

"Hey, Kaoru?" Kaoru looked up to her best friend.

"Yeah..?"

"Have you heard from Megumi lately?" Kaoru raised an eyebrow.

"Huh? You mean she's not here today?" Misao shook her head.

"Megumi wasn't at rehearsal yesterday either. I tried getting in touch with her, but she's not answering her phone," Misao replied. Kaoru pursed her lips together.

Megumi would never miss rehearsal. Even if it was a dire emergency, she would always inform either her or Misao and tell Miss Chie.

Suddenly_, _the image of Megumi and Kenshin talking to one another in what seemed to be a serious conversation that Saturday night suddenly popped into Kaoru's head.

_That's right! She even called Kenshin 'Sir Ken'! She has to know him! But why wouldn't Megumi have told us about Kenshin? Even Sanosuke knows Kenshin. There has to be something going on… Why else would Megumi miss rehearsal?_

Paranoid thoughts began to cloud Kaoru's mind. For a second, she believed that maybe Megumi had some sort of intimate relationship with Kenshin.

That thought pricked at her heart like a tiny needle and a twinge of curiosity began to envelope her, but there was something else that she was feeling. What could it-

_Jealous? I'm jealous? Why would I be jealous over something like that? It's probably not even true…right?_

With that unanswered question swimming through Kaoru's throbbing head, they came to a stop as they approached the stage with Miss Chie and Kenshin waiting for them.

"Before we begin our afternoon rehearsal, I'd like to make an announcement about an upcoming event," Miss Chie spoke. Curious eyes gazed upon their dance teacher. Miss Chie just smiled. "This Friday, we will be hosting a ballet workshop for kids."

"Whaaat!? Kids?!" shouted Misao. "Why do we have to babysit?!" Kenshin cleared his throat.

"Miss Chie and I thought it would be a good idea to hold this since the holiday season is coming up. The money we collect will be donated to our local charity," Kenshin spoke. Misao sighed and said nothing in response to his answer.

"We have assigned each of you to certain duties during the workshop," Miss Chie explained as she handed out sheets of papers to everyone. "Mr. Himura and I expect all of you to be here and to also," Miss Chie handed a piece of paper to Kaoru then looked directly into her eyes before continuing, "be on your best behavior."

Kaoru drew a ragged breath as her mentor's austere face and intimidating eyes looked down at her. She had never felt so… inferior to Miss Chie as she did in that very second.

"Kaoru, you're not listed on here," Misao whispered. Kaoru scanned the piece of paper. Megumi was teaching all of the classes while Misao was assigned to tour the theater, but Kaoru's name wasn't listed. Even some of the less skillful dancers were assigned duties and tasks.

"What's gotten into Miss Chie? She's been really cold toward you today. Did something happen?" Misao asked. Kaoru did not answer because she couldn't. Kaoru was always involved in the holiday workshops. She couldn't understand as to why this was happening.

Why was her mentor, one of the very few people who she respected most in this world, being so distant?

She had never been in such a position before where the person she admired most seemed to detest her so.

XXXXXXXXXX

Rehearsal finished for the day and everyone had left.

Everyone except Kaoru.

She found herself stranded in the auditorium when she spotted several paparazzi's standing around the entrance of the theater.

She grunted loudly as Koji entered her mind.

She had to go back there to get her phone and she knew Koji would be there waiting for her. She half wished that he wouldn't be there. She didn't want to confront him. She didn't want to talk about what happened. She truly just wanted to ignore what happened and rid of the horrible events.

But she knew that would be impossible.

Kaoru glanced at her watch and noticed it was past 9 p.m.

"They should be gone by now… right?" she said to herself as she approached the door.

Lights began flashing instantly and Kaoru slammed the door.

"What the hell! Don't these people have better things to do than harass people!" she exclaimed.

Suddenly, it hit her.

"The back door," she whispered as she turned her head away from the front entrance.

Kaoru glided toward the back of the huge theater and opened it.

All clear.

Why didn't she think of this sooner?

With all the stress she was going through, it was hard for Kaoru to think straight. Struggling with her weight, Koji, the upcoming show, and Kenshin was no walk in the park for her.

As the cold air quickly enveloped around Kaoru's body, Kaoru locked the back door and headed toward Koji's.

XXXXXXXXXX

Fumbling with her keys, Kaoru finally found the silver key that led into her fiance's condo. With a turn and a click, she was in.

She dumped her things at the front of the door along with her stomach and slowly strolled down the hallway into the kitchen where she found her phone.

Everything was intact.

_I guess Tsubame and Koji's mother came back._ She thought.

Suddenly, Kaoru felt a presence behind her and quickly turned around.

There was Koji sitting at the dining room table whose brown eyes were fixated on her.

"Kaoru…" he whispered.

He looked terrible.

It looked as if he didn't change clothes, shower, or had even slept.

Kaoru felt so much guilt just then. After what happened, she didn't feel anger anymore… just guilt.

"Koji…" she said calling out to him as she made her way through the kitchen to her beloved.

TBC!

Note: Comment and positive critiques are more than welcome! To be honest, I know you've heard of this, but if I get more reviews, it'll give me more motivation to keep updating! Thanks guys!


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